Bofors 75 mm Model 1929

Bofors 75 mm and 80 mm guns
Bofors '7,5 cm luftvärnskanon m/29' as part of Swedish coastal fortifications. Note that the gun is missing the recuperator above the barrel and some other parts.
TypeAnti-aircraft gun
Place of originSweden
Service history
In service1930–present
Used by
WarsWorld War II
Production history
DesignerBofors AB, Krupp
Designed1928
ManufacturerBofors AB
Produced1930
Specifications
Mass7.5 cm m/30: combat 3,300 kg (7,300 lb)
8 cm m/29: travel 4,200 kg (9,300 lb), combat 3,300 kg (7,300 lb)[1]
Length7.5 cm m/30: 5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Barrel length7.5 cm m/30: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in) L/52
8 cm m/29: 4 m (13 ft) L/50[1]
Crewdependent on use

Shell7.5 cm m/30: 75 x 604mm R[2]
Shell weight7.5 cm m/30: 6.4 kg (14 lb)
8 cm m/29: 8 kg (18 lb)
Caliber7.5 cm m/30: 75 mm (3.0 in)
8 cm m/29: 80 mm (3.1 in)[1]
Elevation+80-3°[1]
Traverse360°[1]
Muzzle velocity7.5 cm m/30: 850 m/s (2,800 ft/s)
8 cm m/29: 750 m/s (2,500 ft/s)[1]
Maximum firing range7.5 cm m/30: 11 km (36,000 ft)
8 cm m/29: 10 km (33,000 ft)[1]

Bofors 75 mm and Bofors 80 mm were two closely related designs of anti-aircraft and general-purpose artillery. Less well known than the 40 mm quick-firing AA gun, the gun was nevertheless adopted by armed forces of numerous countries during World War II, including Argentina, China, Dutch East Indies, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Persia and Thailand.[1] It was closely related to the 8.8 cm Flak 18/36/37/41, one of the best-known AA guns of World War II, which was partially based on it.[1] Some pieces captured by the Japanese in China served as the blueprint for the Type 4 75 mm AA Gun, a reverse-engineered clone of the Bofors 75mm gun.[3]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bishop, p. 151.
  2. ^ "75-77 MM CALIBRE CARTRIDGES". www.quarryhs.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2015-01-17. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  3. ^ Zaloga, pp. 17–18.